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Data protection in a mass storage system

a data storage and mass storage technology, applied in memory systems, redundancy data error correction, instruments, etc., can solve the problems of high cost of such a protection level, partly scalable, critical data protection issues

Inactive Publication Date: 2009-07-21
WESTERN DIGITAL TECH INC
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides efficient methods and apparatus for distributing and protecting data in a mass storage system. The invention involves assigning data blocks into groups of (N-1) or fewer data blocks, and distributing the data blocks among N storage devices in a way that ensures a balanced distribution and scalability of the system at the single device level. The method includes steps for determining which data blocks will be redistributed and which storage device they will be stored on, and can be implemented after adding or removing storage devices. The invention allows for the effective distribution and protection of data in a mass storage system.

Problems solved by technology

Data protection is a critical issue in mass storage systems, especially high-end data storage systems meant to handle mission critical data.
However, because of the high cost of such a level of protection, alternate protection schemes have been developed in the art.
A drawback to RAID 5 implementations is that they are only partly scalable, since a RAID 5 implementation comprising four disks may only increase its capacity by adding another four disks.

Method used

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Examples

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Embodiment Construction

[0055]Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which illustrates a data processing network 20, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Network 20 comprises a data storage system 22 and a host 24. System 22 comprises a processing unit 28 which manages operations of the system. Processing unit 28 may comprise one or more processing units and / or central processing units (CPUs), which may typically be distributed. Herein, by way of example, processing unit 28 is assumed to be one CPU, referred to hereinbelow as CPU 28. System 22 also comprises N storage devices 30, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to three. Storage devices 30 may be magnetic disk drives, or solid-state, random access memory (RAM) disks, or any other devices used for storing non-volatile data, or any combination of such devices. Storage devices 30 are typically controlled by one or more controllers.

[0056]Host 24 communicates with system 22 in order to read data from, or write data to, the sy...

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Abstract

A method for distributing data over a set of N storage devices. The method includes apportioning the data into groups of (N−2) or fewer blocks, and adding to each group a parity block so as to form a parity set. The method further includes distributing the blocks of each parity set to the N storage devices so that each of the blocks is stored on a different storage device.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 620,697, filed Oct. 22, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for data storage. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the distribution and protection of data in a mass storage system.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Data protection is a critical issue in mass storage systems, especially high-end data storage systems meant to handle mission critical data. One way to protect data in a storage system is by maintaining a mirror copy of all data stored in the system. However, because of the high cost of such a level of protection, alternate protection schemes have been developed in the art. These approaches are usually classified as various levels of RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks). RAID levels were first defin...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Patents(United States)
IPC IPC(8): G06F11/00
CPCG06F11/1096G06F2211/1011
Inventor ZOHAR, OFIRREVAH, YARONHELMAN, HAIMCOHEN, DRORSCHWARTZ, SHEMER
Owner WESTERN DIGITAL TECH INC
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